Willie Aikens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Willie Aikens |
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| First baseman | |||
| Born: October 14, 1954 Seneca, South Carolina, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| May 17, 1977, for the California Angels | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| April 27, 1985, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .271 | ||
| Home runs | 110 | ||
| Runs batted in | 415 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Willie Mays Aikens (born October 14, 1954) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays from 1977 to 1985. During his career, he became known as a powerful hitter.
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Early Life and Baseball Start
Aikens grew up in the Bruce Hill community of Seneca, South Carolina. He was a talented athlete at Seneca High School, playing baseball, football, and basketball. He even earned scholarships for baseball and football at South Carolina State University.
When his college stopped its baseball program, Willie McNeil, his high school coach, helped him join a semi-professional summer baseball league in Baltimore, Maryland. While playing there, he caught the eye of California Angels scout Walter Youse. The Angels then picked him as the second overall choice in the January 1975 MLB draft.
Playing in Major League Baseball
California Angels
Aikens quickly became one of the best sluggers in the California Angels' minor league teams. In 1976, he led the league with thirty home runs and drove in 117 runs for the El Paso Diablos.
He started the 1977 season with the Angels' Triple-A team in Salt Lake City. There, he hit 14 home runs and had a strong .336 batting average. He was called up to the Angels' main team in September. In 42 games, he batted .198 and did not hit a home run.
Aikens returned to his strong hitting in 1978. He batted .326 with 29 home runs and 110 runs batted in (RBIs) for the Pacific Coast League's Salt Lake City Gulls. He came back to the major leagues in 1979. He played as a designated hitter and also filled in at first base for Rod Carew when Carew was injured. Aikens had a good rookie season, batting .280 with 21 home runs and 81 RBIs.
Kansas City Royals
On December 6, 1979, the Angels traded Aikens and Rance Mulliniks to the Kansas City Royals. In return, the Angels received Al Cowens and Todd Cruz. Aikens became the Royals' first baseman. Even though he wasn't known for his fielding, he quickly became an important part of the team's offense.
After recovering from knee surgery, he started slowly but hit very well in the second half of the 1980 season. He finished second on his team in both home runs (20) and RBIs (98), right behind George Brett. The Royals won their division by 14 games. They then faced the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) for the third time in four years. After losing in 1976, 1977, and 1978, the Royals finally swept the Yankees in three games in the 1980 American League Championship Series. This win sent them to the World Series to play against the Philadelphia Phillies.
In the 1980 World Series, Aikens hit two home runs in Game 1 (on his 26th birthday) and two more in Game 4. He was the only player in World Series history at that time to hit two home runs in the same game twice in one World Series. He also hit the game-winning RBI in the tenth inning of Game 3, which was the Royals' first-ever World Series game win. Aikens batted an impressive .400 in the series, but the Royals lost the World Series in six games.
Aikens led the Royals in both home runs and RBIs in the strike-shortened 1981 season. His team returned to the postseason but was swept by the Oakland Athletics in the 1981 American League Division Series. Aikens batted .333 in that series, but he did not score or drive in any runs.
In 1983, Aikens batted over .300 for the first time in his career.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Royals traded Aikens to the Toronto Blue Jays for designated hitter Jorge Orta. Aikens was briefly suspended by Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. However, after a review on May 15, 1984, he was allowed to play again. In 93 games, Aikens hit 11 home runs and drove in 26 runs.
The Blue Jays released Aikens a month into the 1985 season. They later re-signed him to a minor league contract. In his final major league at-bat on April 27, Aikens hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the ninth inning to tie the game. The Blue Jays went on to win in the tenth inning. Despite this, Aikens was let go. Even though he had a healthy .311 batting average and 16 home runs with the Syracuse Chiefs in the minor leagues, he never returned to the majors. He played four games for the New York Mets' Triple-A team, the Tidewater Tides, in 1986 before going to Mexico to play in the Mexican Pacific League.
Playing in Mexico
Aikens played for six years in the Mexican League, where he was often one of the league's top hitters. In 1986, he batted .454, which is one of the highest single-season averages in professional baseball history. He played for the Pericos de Puebla from 1986 to 1987, Charros de Jalisco in 1988, Bravos de León from 1989 to 1990, and Industriales de Monterrey in 1991.
Aikens also played winter baseball in the Mexican Pacific League with the Yaquis and the Venados de Mazatlán from 1986 to 1989. In 2012, the Venados de Mazatlán team honored him by retiring his jersey number.
Later Life and Coaching
After his playing career, Aikens worked in road construction for a time. He also spoke at schools about his life experiences and shared advice with young players for the Royals. He always hoped to return to baseball.
On February 1, 2011, the Royals announced that they had hired Aikens as a minor league coach. He would be based at the team's training complex in Surprise, Arizona. His start was delayed when his wife, Sara, had a stroke.
Aikens has three daughters: Nicole and Sarita with Sara, and Lucia from a previous relationship.
Images for kids
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Willie Aikens in his Kansas City Royals uniform.
